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World Region of Origin and Common Mental Disorders Among Migrant Women in Spain

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Abstract

Migration can affect the mental health of migrants. This cross-sectional study has two objectives: (1) to compare the prevalence of common mental disorder (CMD) between migrants (n = 458) living in Granada (Spain) and Spanish-born women (n = 448); (2) within migrants, to analyse the associations of world region of origin, other sociodemographic factors and post-migration features with the presence of CMD. Participants answered a questionnaire, including sociodemographic characteristics, post-migration features and CMD that was measured by Kessler K6-scale. Logistic regression analyses showed that CMD (K6 ≥ 13) was significantly higher among migrants than Spaniards. Compared with Spaniards, the odds of CMD were 3.6 [95 % confidence intervals (CI) 2.1–6.0] and 2.9 (CI 1.6–5.3), respectively, for Latin Americans and for Moroccan and other African women. Among migrants, Latin Americans as opposed to the reference group (migrants from other countries), had higher probability of CMD (OR 2.3, CI 1.1–4.9). This study supports the hypothesis that migration leads to mental distress. Consideration of world region of origin may clarify the differences observed in mental health across different migrant groups.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge all the participants, particularly the migrant women and agencies serving migrants, for their contribution to this study. The authors have received institutional support from the University of Granada.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CTS-549 Research Group, Institute of Neurosciences, Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Dolores Jurado, José M. Martínez-Ortega, Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas & Manuel Gurpegui

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Av Madrid 11, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Dolores Jurado, Yaiza Mendieta-Marichal & Carmen Ariza

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    José M. Martínez-Ortega & Manuel Gurpegui

  4. La Chana University Health Care Centre, Andalusian Health Service, Granada, Spain

    María Agrela

  5. Psychiatry Service, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain

    Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas

  6. Academic Unit of Psychiatry, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Ricardo Araya & Glyn Lewis

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  1. Dolores Jurado
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Correspondence to Dolores Jurado.

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Jurado, D., Mendieta-Marichal, Y., Martínez-Ortega, J.M. et al. World Region of Origin and Common Mental Disorders Among Migrant Women in Spain. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 1111–1120 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9927-0

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